This invention relates generally to a hand operable atomizer and more particularly to a squeeze bottle aspirator having a spraying device that is highly efficient at atomizing and dispensing material from the squeeze bottle.
There is a need for a spraying device that generates consistent dispensing performance through the evacuation of substantially all the material in a container.
A common solution in the market today is to manufacture aspirators of two piece construction. They generally have a dispensing closure that incorporates a dip tube which allows fluid to be conveyed from the lower extremities of the bottle when the bottle is squeezed. The dispensing closure has an exit orifice molded therein. The dip tube is attached to the dispensing closure in a cylindrical attachment port on the side facing the interior of the bottle. The cylindrical port has a plurality of thin ribs spaced radially and extending axially along its inside diameter. When the dip tube is inserted into the cylindrical port, the ribs in conjunction with the outside diameter of the dip tube create gaps or channels between the inner diameter of the cylindrical port and the outside diameter of the dip tube. These channels allow air to be forced into the fluid stream as the bottle is squeezed. The air is entrained into the fluid flow causing extreme turbulence of the fluid as it mixes and issues the exit orifice of the closure.
Drawbacks to this solution are that since the turbulence generates very fine atomized fluid only, the performance of these systems is limited to short bursts of atomized fluid and the dispensing performance degrades very quickly due to the high air flow volume.
A common mechanism used in the art to mix air and fluid is spin mechanics. Some of the devices currently in the art that employ spin mechanics are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,157,789 and 4,253,609 issued to Laauwe. While the devices disclosed in these patents are directed to different types of spraying devices, various improvements are desirable to optimize the spray operation and the spray quality.